Prospectively publishing systematic review protocols enables the appraisal of review methods, along with identification of changes to the methods or selective reporting of the outcomes in the completed review. Here, the authors describe the development of the PRISMA-P, the PRISMA extension for transparently and robustly reporting systematic review protocols.

With an ever-increasing number of studies which could be relevant for inclusion in systematic reviews, text mining may hold the answer for facilitating the screening process; including, prioritising items for screening, as a ‘second screener’ or to eliminate studies automatically.

The effect of homeopathic treatment is highly debated. A global systematic review was conducted focusing on the individualized homeopathy treatment approach; the results suggested there may be a small, specific treatment effect, though the evidence quality prompts caution in interpreting these findings.

Meta-analysis of test accuracy studies with multiple thresholds can be affected if the primary studies have different or missing threshold data. An exploratory method to assess the impact of missing thresholds on conclusions from a test accuracy meta-analysis revealed results are vulnerable to the missing data.

New Canadian guidelines have called for increased tailoring to service users’ needs. Immigrant women’s experiences of maternity-care services highlighted they have the opportunity to access necessary services, though barriers often include lack of awareness and insufficient support to access the services.

The most commonly used software package to conduct network meta-analyses is WinBUGS, though its use can be challenging. Here, the authors developed NetMetaXL, a Microsoft-Excel-based tool that is more accessible to novice users and allows network meta-analyses to be conducted entirely within Microsoft Excel.

The production of systematic reviews can often be delayed due to cost of production, availability of the requisite expertise and timeliness. Here, the authors evaluated the potential impact of advancements in informatics systems that support or automate different stages of the systematic review process.

In some circumstances it is imperative that knowledge is gathered and assessed in a time-dependent manner, particularly for policy makers. Such was the case to inform the implementation of a new health service in Nova Scotia, Canada, the methods of which are described and evaluated.

The prevalence of obesity is increasing; a systematic reviews and network meta-analysis assessed the long term efficacy of diet and exercise on anthropometric outcomes and cardiovascular risk factors in overweight and obese participants, concluding both diet and exercise should be highly recommended for long-term obesity management.